Shaken, Stirred & Stuffed: How Sable & Rosenfeld is Hand-Crafting your Cocktail Must-Haves
From fruits to olives to little festive umbrellas, cocktail garnishes, edible or otherwise, are a mixologist’s ornamental tradition, like the salt-rimmed glass of your favourite Bloody Mary.
Adding visual appeal and extra taste while tying together flavours and formed aromas of these cocktail concoctions, this behind-the-bar tradition of adding above-the-rim accessories dates back to as early as 1862 when mixology manual writer Jerry Thomas taught cocktail makers to add lemon peels to their beverages. He also recommended rubbing the peel around the rims of glasses for extra added oil.
For extra savoury quality, there has also been a long-standing history of people using basic olives and onions for an added delicious kick to their cocktails. These starter additions have now transitioned from simple pearl onions and pitted olives to hand-stuffed and liquor soaked, a rising trend being shaken and stirred by Myra Sable of the garnish royalty brand, Sable & Rosenfeld.
After creating an unexpectedly successful Russian mustard during her time as a newspaper restaurant reviewer in 1970, Sable and her partner, Carol Rosenfeld, opened a small shop in a Creeds department store and soon found their first product in a full-page feature by Esquire Magazine, featured as the Christmas gift of the year to give to men. It was with this feature that Neiman Marcus came knocking on their door, and business took off. Within a few years, they had expanded their offerings to over 50 gourmet products, opening shops and departments in Holt Renfrew, Fortnum and Mason stores. By 1977, it was agreed that the company would shift their strategy from retail spacing to becoming a full-time specialty condiment manufacturer.
In 1980, Sable created Tipsy Olives, a garnish dating long before anyone even thought of soaking olives in gin or vodka. Imported from Spain, these savory enhancements were stuffed with jalapenos, sliced pimentos, lemon, roasted garlic, and blue cheese, then soaked in unique liquors, becoming the first pre-prepared cocktail garnishes of its kind to be packaged and sold on the market in North America. This did not go un-noticed as Sable & Rosenfeld took home top awards at numerous specialty food shows, notably numerous awards from the Specialty Food Association. To date, Sable & Rosenfeld has been carried in over 3,000 retailers across North America.
Tipsy Onions had soon been followed up by the creation of Sable’s Tipsy Tapas with Hot Peppers. These peppers were hand-stuffed with cream cheese and manually packed in herb-splashed vegetable oil. She also produced Tipsy Jerk Sauce, an all natural grilling/marinade sauce made from Jamaican scotch bonnet peppers, mesquite for that smoky flavour and a touch of Jamaican rum for that special Sable “Tipsy” twist.
Aware of the rising trend toward spicier garnishes and appreciation of ingredients above the rim, Myra is adding an S&R twist to another traditional cocktail trimming with her newly launched Tipsy Jalapeno Onions.
Soaked in French Vermouth and stuffed with fresh jalapeno peppers, these sweet and spicy pearl onions are sustainably sourced from Grand Bend, Ontario and can be used in a variety of top cocktails such as the classic Gibson and the not so traditional Bloody Mary’s. Sable herself loves adding Tipsy Jalapeno Onions to her homecooked meals, especially her veal stews.
Curious about combining Tipsy Jalapeno Onions with your cocktails? Try this recipe for Sable and Rosenfeld’s Kickin’ Bloody Mary. Don’t forget the Garlic & Dill Tipsy Cocktail Stirrers.
Kickin’ Bloody Mary 
INGREDIENTS:
1½ oz (1 jigger) vodka
5 oz tomato juice
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Sable & Rosenfeld Vermouth Jalapeño Tipsy Onion brine
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Sable & Rosenfeld Vermouth Jalapeño Tipsy Onions, skewered
PREPARATION:
In a tall glass combine vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, onion brine, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper and 1 cup ice cubes. Stir the mixture well and strain into a second glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with 3 skewered Vermouth Jalapeño Tipsy Onions.
Spice up a classic Gibson Martini with our ‘Spicy Gibson’ recipe
Spicy Gibson
INGREDIENTS:
2½ oz gin (vodka)
½ oz dry vermouth
3 Sable & Rosenfeld Vermouth Jalapeño Tipsy Onions
PREPARATION:
Pre-chill glass. Fill martini shaker with ice cubes. Pour in gin (vodka) and vermouth. Shake. Strain into glass and garnish with 3 Vermouth Jalapeño Tipsy Onions.
Combine all ingredients. Place in tall glass filled with ice cubes. Stir. Garnish with 3 Vermouth Jalapeno Tipsy Onions.
For more information about Sable & Rosenfeld, visit their official website at www.sableandrosenfeld.com
